He said: ‘It’s fitting that we gather here each year to celebrate St Patrick and his legacy.

‘He too, of course, was an immigrant – and though he is of course the patron saint of Ireland, for many people around the globe he’s also a symbol of, indeed the patron of, immigrants.

‘Here in America, in your great country, 35million people claim Irish heritage, and the Irish have contributed to the economic, social, political, and cultural life of this great country over the last 200 years.

St Patrick’s Day celebrations have been held at the White House since the 1950s (Picture: Getty Images)

‘Ireland came to America because, deprived of liberty, deprived of opportunity, of safety, of even food itself, the Irish believed – and four decades before Lady Liberty lifted her lamp – we were the wretched refuse on the teeming shore.

‘We believed in the shelter of America, in the compassion of America, in the opportunity of America.

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‘We came, and we became Americans. We lived the words of John F. Kennedy long before he uttered them. We asked not what America could do for us, but what we could do for America – and we still do.’

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Kenny also delivered another speech to a luncheon at the US Capitol, in which he was a bit more direct with the US President.

Urging Trump to help those in the country illegally, Kenny said: We would like this to be sorted. It would remove a burden of so many people that they can stand out in the light and say, “Now I am free to contribute to America as I know I can”.

‘And that’s what people want.’

Enda Kenny delivers a speech on immigration, as Trump looks on (Picture: REX/Shutterstock)

He also told Trump to think about providing more work visas ‘for young people who want to come to America and work here’.